Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) ballet students learn technique from American Ballet Theatre dancer Wendy Palmer Clark during a Master Class.

Dance students learned techniques from professional ballet dancer Wendy Palmer Clark during a recent Master Class at the Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA), a Nassau  BOCES program.

“I’m really happy to be here,” Clark said. “This class is working really hard. I’ve been giving very specific corrections, and they’ve been applying it, fine tuning it, and I’m excited to see how we progress.”

Clark has danced professionally with the Eugene Ballet Company, City Ballet of San Diego, and Ballet Spokane. She has an M.A. in Ballet Pedagogy from NYU and is a certified American Ballet Theatre (ABT) curriculum teacher. She is currently a teaching artist for ABT, an adjunct faculty teacher for St. Francis College, and a faculty teacher for Brooklyn Ballet and American Theater Dance Workshop. 

This year, LIHSA has a partnership with the American Ballet Theatre. Professional dancers will be visiting the school for Master Classes on a regular basis. The partnership grew out of a grant from the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation.

“I wanted to bring really high-quality artistic experiences and partnerships to the students at LIHSA,” said Principal Dr. Chris Rogutsky-Bleecker. “To have evolved into a partnership with an internationally acclaimed dance organization is an amazing opportunity for our students.”

The Master Class program is part of the school’s ongoing mission to provide its students with an inside look at the industries they are pursuing, and to introduce them to mentors within their chosen field.